Categories: Car News

If you’ve been watching the Tour de France lately, then you must already know Cadillac is making a major advertising play this year – especially with regard to sporting events. The trend looks to continue with the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics on July 27, when Cadillac will unleash a series of 60 and 30 second television spots which are sure to grab some attention.

Appropriately titled Cadillac ATS vs. the World, the company hopes to take the viewing audience on a “cinematic adventure.” From Monaco to Morocco, China to Chile, the ATS will tackle some of the world’s most beautiful and challenging-to-handle pavement.

Mazda is passing the long, hot summer afternoons by teasing its upcoming Mazda6. The Takeri concept whetted the world's appetite for the new flagship sedan, and a series of teasers are keeping anticipation high. With more than two months left before the official Paris Motor Show debut, we expect to see a few more teasers. Number 2 and 3 are officially here.

The first Mazda6 teaser focused on the driver side front. Number 2 takes the tour to the profile by way of the front fender, and number 3 pulls us around back.

A few weeks ago, we reported that some Nissan Leaf owners have been experiencing battery capacity issues. Those owners were concentrated in hot states, supporting the fact that hot weather will be an obstacle for electric vehicle performance. Now that it's a scorching mid-July, Chevy Volt owners are reporting some problems with battery performance.

Whenever subcompact car comparisons pop up, and the Fit is listed as an entry, the outcome can – more often than not – be predicted in favor of Honda’s most true-to-form econo hatchback. Even without a substantive update since the vehicle’s introduction in 2006, except minor aesthetic improvements in 2007, the Fit has continued to be a fan favorite amongst an increasingly popular segment.

So, you’d think that 2013 might be some kind of watershed or big update year for the Honda Fit, especially in light of recent subcompact makeovers coming from Hyundai, Chevrolet, Fiat, et al. Whether it’s because of last year’s series of catastrophes or the company’s continuing market success, Honda has chosen to stay the course and maintain the 2012 Fit, nearly in the vehicle’s present form.

There is, however, one change worthy of note. Consumers will have a few color choices aside from the usual subcompact classics (blue, red, white, and black), including the new-for-2013 color Midnight Plum Pearl.

This one’s for the record books. After almost 42 years of grim pursuit, Dallas resident Robert Russell finally located his stolen 1967 Austin Healey 3000 – which was originally taken from his Philadelphia apartment in 1970. And, most humorously, Russell actually spotted the car on an eBay auction.

“Ever since eBay showed up, I’d check it periodically,” Russell said to The Dallas Morning News. “I checked it on Friday May 11, and there it was.”

A California non-profit consumer advocacy group is suing Hyundai based upon the "40 mpg" claim of the Elantra. The group says that the Korean automaker didn't comply with Federal Trade Commission regulations in advertising the number.

The Elantra may be good enough to boast Car of the Year honors, but apparently it's not good enough to stay out of the crosshairs of the legal system. Hyundai advertises a 40 mpg rating on the model. That rating is highway only - the city rating is a much more modest 29 mpg, and the combined rating sits at 33 mpg. Of course, advertising either of those figures would cut into the impressive 40 number.

The trend with the Nissan Z has always been to go larger: larger engine, larger output and larger model number. Nissan is on the brink of reversing that trend with the next generation Z. It will cut weight, add a smaller engine and try to broaden the sport car's appeal.

According to a conversation between Inside Line and Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura, a concept version of the next generation Z is under development. Nissan wants the next generation Z to enjoy more success than the current 370 Z has. In order to do so, Nissan will shave some of the 370 Z's 3,300 lbs. to make a lighter, presumably more fuel efficient sports car.

When it comes to many products - clothes, electronics, sports gear, etc. - you can typically return items that you don't like. While the nature of those returns varies wildly by product and retailer, it's always nice to know that you have a remedy should a purchase not work out the way you'd hoped. Unfortunately, when it comes to the most major purchases in life - homes and vehicles, for instance - you don't have any such leeway. We've all heard the line about a car losing half its value the minute you cruise off the lot, so a return is usually out of the question.

For a limited time, Chevy is extending an unusual opportunity. It's calling it the Chevy Confidence program, and participants will be able to buy, drive and return any new Chevy vehicle.

Going on years, industry analysts have drooled with anticipation over what will likely be the greatest slugmatch in the American automotive realm over the next decade, or the introduction of a new generation of half-ton pickup trucks. Chevrolet, it would seem, is leading the pack of Detroit’s Big Three in an effort to generate preemptive media buzz.

For the first time ever, we have official General Motors footage of what the incoming Chevy Silverado will look like and, more importantly, how it will drive with weight in tow. Because, as any true American knows, a pickup truck is only as good as the bragging rights the vehicle affords.

In this case, we’ve got an accelerating Silverado travelling uphill on a windy mountain pass with a substantial rear load. Although the video remains silent, we can still imagine a throaty roar, the wind in our hair, and an utter lack of concern for truck capability.

A few short months ago, Mazda provided a preview of the upcoming 2014 Mazda6 in the form of the Takeri concept. Mazda is moving toward the production-Mazda6 reveal at this fall's Paris Motor Show, and it has released the first teaser clip of the car.

While the teaser clip isn't nearly as interesting as a sexy concept like the Takeri, it affirms that at least part of the production Mazda6 will look a whole lot like the concept. The clip gives us a look at the driver's-left side of the front fascia, showing a grille and headlight that look quite Takeri. The grille is the same five-point design that we'd expect, and there's a similar chrome line connecting the grille to the headlamp.

Mini has realized that its Countryman isn't all that well defined. According to a new report, the BMW minicar brand plans to rectify the situation by replacing the Countryman with two separate models. It will introduce a family-hauling MPV and a harder, more believable SUV.

Though the Mini Countryman has been defined as a crossover, and it comes with optional all-wheel drive, it's a bit hard to accept an elongated, five-door Cooper as a true crossover. And it's not really a family hauler for grown up Mini fanatics, either. For all intents and purposes, it's basically just the awkward largest car in a brand that's defined by tiny cars.